Machine for classifying and sizing ores.



PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

W. E. WILD.

MACHINE FOR CLASSIPYING AND SIZING ORES.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG- 1, 1903.

\UI II I I HHHHI 2 snnms-anmw 1.

No. 788,688. PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

A w. E. WILD.

MACHINE FOR GLASSIFYING AND SIZING ORES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1, 1903,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

VII/I141 UNIT D STATES Patented May 2, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

MACHINE FOR CLASSIFYING AND SIZING ORES.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,688, dated May 2, 1905.

Application filed August 1, 1903. Serial No. 167,911.

To all whom it natty concm'n:

Be it known that [JV ILLIA M, ENV 11.1), a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Machines for Classifying and Sizing Ores, of which the following is a speciiication. 7

My invention relates to machines for classifying and sizing ores preparatory to further treatment; and it consists of a system of screens the mesh and operation of which are successively graduated, each screen handling the screened material of the next preceding screen in the series and each screen discharging separately its oversize and screened material.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view illustrating my apparatus. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the screen and its operating mechanism. Fig. 4 is an end section of the same on the line a b of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail in section on line C l) of Fig. 3, showing the means of hanging the screen. Fig.5 is a detail of the pitman, the eccentric, and the hoop of the pitman. Fig. 6 is adetail, enlarged, show ing the preferred form of securing the screen fabric on its frame; and Fig. 7 is a modification.

The machine consists of a series of superposed vessels or tanks 1, suitably supported on horizontal bars of the skeleton frame 2. \Vithin each tank and near the bottom thereof a rectangularscreen 3 is suspended by the links 1 from each of its corners, hangingfrom cross-rods 5, journaled in brackets 6 and 7, bolted on the top of the longitudinal horizon tal side bars 8 of the skeleton frame, so as to have a movement on said links backward and forward and at all points throughout an are described byitssuspending-links. The screen is preferably attached to its suspending-links by the bars 9, which are secured at their ends in brackets 10 on the side bars of the screen. The screen receives its forward and backward swinging motion on its suspending-links by means of the eccentric rod or pitman 11, the hoop of which encircles an eccentric-ltmshing 12, adjustably lixed upon the inner eccentricring 13 by means of a set-screw 13. This set-screw is threaded into a peripheral bore in the bushing and secures the bushing to the inner eccentric-ring. The eccentric-ring 13 is fast upon the shaft 14 and eccentric thereto, so that upon the turning of the shaft the occentric-ring and the bushing turn with it and *give to the rod 11 the forward and backward motion of the ordinary eccentric. The shaft 1a is journaled in bearings 15 in the side bracket 7 on the longitudinal side bars 8 of the skeleton frame. The shaft 14 is provided at one end with fast and loose pulleys. The shafts 1.4 and 5 are preferably so distanced from each other and the eccentric-rod l1 and the links 4 are preferably of such a length as to hold said links 4 at all times forward of their suspending-bearings approximately at an angle of forty-live degrees, and in practice 1 have found that links of five inches in length and eccentrics adjusted to give a three-fourthsinch movement and therefore an approximate raise of the screen in its swinging of fivceighths of an inch to give satisfactory results in the operations hereinafter explained.

The receiving end of the screen is slightly higher than the discharge end of the screen, and this may be attained, as shown, by making the brackets 6 of greater height than brackets 7, or it may be attained by shortening the links 41 at the receiving end of the screen, the former being preferable.

Within the tank and in a position to receive the oversize from the discharge end of the screen is a screen-partition 16, inclined downward toward the front of the tank, and at the foot of said screen 16 is a gate 17 in the front of the tank to deliver the oversize to the launder 18, from whence it passes torolls, concentrators, or other device to be again treated. At the bottom of each tank is another gate, 19, identical in construction with that of gate 17 butdischarging into a launder 20, leading to the receiving end of the screen in the next adjacent snbposed tank.

My device is adapted to handle as well dry or wet material, and when used to handle wet material the gates 17 and 19 are adjusted in the several tanks, according to the quantity and size of material which must pass therethrough. Since I may use any number of tanks in my machine, it may be unhandy to climb up to the top tank to adjust the openings in the gates 17, and I therefore provide said gates with the lever-handles 21, fromthe end of which a rod 22 extends to the bottom of the skeleton frame and is there secured upon the pin-rack 23. so as to be within easy reach of the attendant.

The tanks are first filled with water sufii cient to submerge the swinging screen, and the pulp is then delivered on the screen of the top tank from the launder 2 1, and the screen in swinging backward and forward sifts the pulp down into the tank through its mesh and discharges the oversize at the forward end of the tank down upon the submerged screen 16, where such oversize is again washed by a current of water coming from a pipe 25, having a nozzle 26, directing its stream toward the screen and through the oversize, so as to wash from the oversize any fine stuff or slimes that might otherwise be carried with it. stretched across the tank in the path of the current from the nozzle, is a baffie-plate 27, which prevents the current from the nozzle from traveling upward against the bottom of the screen 3 and interfering with its action to screen the material and from interfering with the free fall of the screened material in its travel toward the gate 19. This screen 16 is of'finer mesh than that of the screen 3. The screened material from the screen 3 and also that from the screen 16 fall through the gate 19 out onto launder 20, from whence they are discharged on the receiving end of the screen of the next adjacent subposed tank, where it is again screened and classified in identical manner, the screens of each succeeding tank being of finer mesh than of those of the tank next above. It is desirable that the water in the tanks be maintained at a constant level; but since in delivering the pulp an excess of watermay come with it an overflow-pipe 28 is provided, which takes off the water at the desired level near the top of the upper tank and delivers it to the next tank below, each tank being provided with such an overflowpipe. These overflow-pipes also catch some slimes and float, and that one from the lower tank discharges into a settling-tank or to other apparatus, where such slimes are recovered.

The mesh of the screen 3 is supported within its rectangular frame upon the cross bars or rods 29, resting in steps 30 on either side bar of the frame on which the mesh lies, and is held thereon by cross-rods 31, pressing down on the mesh against said bars 29. These bars 31 are held in position by the stepped side bar 32, which is wedged down in place by the wedge 33, interposed between the top of said bar 32 and shoulders on the side brackets 10 Behind this screen 16,

of the screen. The relative positions of the bars 29 and 31are illustrated in Fig. 6, wherein it is seen that the mesh of the screen is pressed in a series of inclines 3 1 between each pair of bars and that the bars 31 are higher than the bed of the screen. These cross-bars 31 form dams which retard the flow of the pulp and form abutments by which the pulp in passing over them is tossed and agitated, and thereby more thoroughly screened. These bars also form a means of adjusting the inclines 3 1, for it is seen that by wedging them down closely to the bottom of the steps 30 the inclination would be increased. These bars 31 also receive the impact from a knocker-bar 35, suspended longitudinally over the screen-frame by the hangers 36, secured upon the crossrods 5. This knocker-bar is adjustable by its hangers and in use is adapted so as to barely touch the bars 31 on the extreme upward movement of the screen and to give to the screen-bed a slight knock or jar, which tends to prevent clogging of the screen. A piece of rubber or other cushioning material 37 is preferably interposed between the knockerbar and its suspending-hangers.

The hangers 36 are adjustable upon the shaft 5 by means of slots 38 in their upper ends, in which blocks 39 upon the shaft 5 are positioned by the set-screw 10. This adjustment is necessary to accommodate the adjustment of the eccentric and the swing of the screen according to the changes made therein for treating different classes ofores. At other times it may be found advantageous to work the screen without the knocker-bar, in which case the bar is put out of service by raising iton its adjustable hangers beyond the reach of the screen.

The screens of the several tanks are driven by the belt 41, passing over the pulley 42 at the top of the frame and over the pulleys on the eccentric-shafts of each tank and over idle pulleys 13 on the opposite end of the frame. I have found that the speed and extent of the swing of the screens in the several tanks should vary to suit the different sizes of material which each is required to handle, and this variation I accomplish by adjusting the diiferent eccentrics.

When my apparatus is used to classify dry ores, the-operation is identical with that described above, except that the tanks contain no water and the gates 17 and 19 are thrown wide open.

I have said herein that the screen is suspended by links standing at an angle, preferably approximately forty-five degrees forward of its hanger-rods 5; but it is obvious that the degree of angle may be varied. In this case the stated angle is preferred because my machine is designed to discharge the oversize from the screen toward the front of the tank through the gates 17.

The operation and movement of the swinging screen, which is most important in my device, is as follows: It is seen that the linkst, which are moved from their free end by the eccentric-rod 11, could only have a movement forward and backward equal to the thrust of the eccentric 13 and that the movement of the swinging screen, which is attached to the free end of the links, could only be upward and downward through the are described by the links 4;, which are is limited by the thrust of the adjustable eccentric. In concentrating dry material the pull of the eccentric would carry the screen forward and upwardthrough such an arc and the material would be raised on the bed of the screen forward and upward to the limit of the movement of the screen, from which limit the material would travel farther upward by means of its momentum, and the screen would descend and be carried backward through the same are of its ascension, but at a greater speed than the fall of the particles of the material from the limit of their ascension attained by their momentum, and hence would catch said particles at a point on its surface forward of their former place thereon. The particles so falling to the screen would fall at different longitudinal positions, according to the degree of momentum incident to their composition. Thus in the re peated swinging of the screen the particles of the material would be successively forwarded from one resting-place on the screen-bed forward to another. This swinging motion of the screen alone tends to thoroughly agitate the material and free the interstices of the mesh; but the dam-bars 31 also have an action in this respect, since they, as they form dams in the path of the travel of the material, prevent such material from traveling in masses longitudinally of the screen-bed and tend to spread the material over the whole width of the screen and each of them tends to retard a small portion of the material, so that when such portion is released from the dam by the swinging of the screen it will travel only over the mesh between the dam from which it was released and the next succeeding dam, and thereby be screened according to its quantity, which, because the bulk of the material is divided into portions in its travel, is small and easily handled by the portion of the screenbed between each dam 31.

l/Vhen it is desired to screen pulp, the motion of the screen, while identical with that described above with respect to its handling of dry material, is nevertheless different in its action on the material itself, for it is seen that the screen and the pulp are submerged, and in the forward motion of the screen the particles of material must be tossed through the water, and though their momentum is relatively the same as in the dry process their fall would be influenced by the motion of the submerging water through their travel, and

that upon the descent and backward move than when the same particles were dry.

ment of the screen particles according to their character and specific gravity would take a different position on the swinging screen In using my device with pulp and with the screen submerged the travel of the material toward its discharge end would be attained not only by the motion of the screen itself, but by the influence of the submerging waterthat is to say, in the forward and upward travel of the screen on its links the submerging water would tend to wash or force much of the material down through the mesh of the screen and the particles remaining on the screen would be tossed or lifted at the termination of the upward movement of the screen through the water, where they would be held in suspension according to their specific gravities, and on the downward movement of the screen, which is also a backward movement, they would be caught in their fall at a point on the screen forward of their former resting-place. In such a forward and upward movement of the screen through the water the submerging water would curl backward over the dams and stir or agitate the material and tend to spread the material held behind the dam, so that the finer particles therein might be freed from the mass and allowed to fall through the mesh. On the backward and downward move ment of the screen the water under the screen would tend to force itself up through the mesh and again agitate and stir any mass collected behind the dams and at the same time force some of the particles forward over the dams.

It is seen that the action of the screen through the submerging water is much after the manner of a jig, and, indeed, it is only required in order to give my device the functions of a jig that I make the dams on my screen of greater height, and provision for this is shown and explained; but it is obvious that the bars 31, which are the dams on my screen, may be made in the form of slats 31 of any height suitable to handle any given pulp, and such a modification I have illustrated in Fig. 7.

The successive movement of the particles of the material toward the discharge end of the screen does not depend upon the inclination of the screen itself toward its discharge end, but rather upon the movement of the screen either in the dry or in the wet process, as it is obvious that the movement of the material is positively obtained on the forward movement of the screen.

1. In a machine for sizing and classifying granulated ores, the combination with a stationary tank supported within a suitable frame, of a substantially horizontal swinging screen suspended within and near the top of the tank by links hanging at all times forward of a vertical and having only an upward and forward movement in one lateral direction and only a downward and backward movement on its return, means for swinging said screen on its said links whereby during its said movements its screened material is discharged through its mesh down into the tank and its oversize is discharged over its forward end, a stationary inclined partition-screen crossing said tank in the path of the fall of the oversize and secured at its side and bottom edges to the side and front walls of the tank, a gated opening in the front wall of the tank at the foot of said partition-screen for the discharge of the oversize, and a gated opening in the bottom of the tank for the discharge of the screened material, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for sizing and classifying granulated ores the combination with a stationary tank supported within a suitable frame, of a substantially horizontal submerged swinging screen suspended within and near the top of the tank by links hanging at all times forward of a vertical and having only an upward and forward movement in one lateral direction and only a downward and backward movement on its return, means for swinging said screen on its said links whereby during its said movements its screened material is discharged through its mesh down into the tank and its oversize is discharged over its forward end, a stationary inclined partitionscreen crossing said tank in the path of the fall of the oversize and secured at its side and bottom edges to the side and front walls of the tank, a gated opening in the front wall of the tank at the foot of said partition-screen for the discharge of the oversize, a water-pipe having a nozzle on the inner front wall of the tank just above the gated opening and directing its spray toward and through the falling oversize and partition-screen, a bathe-plate crossing the tank in rearrof its partitionsoreen whereby to baflie the current from said nozzle and a gated opening in the bottom of the tank for the discharge of the screened material, substantially as described.

8. In a machine for sizing and classifying granulated ores the combination with a stationary tank supported within a suitable frame, of a substantially horizontal submerged swinging screen suspended within and near the top of the tank by links hanging at all times forward of a vertical and having only an upward and forward movement in one lateral direction and only a downward and backward movement on its return, means for swinging said screen on its said links whereby during its said movements its screened material is discharged through its mesh down into the tank and its oversize is discharged over its forward end, a stationary inclined partitionscreen crossing said tank in the path of the fall of the oversize and secured at its side and bottom edges to the side and front walls of the tank, a gated opening in the front wall of the tank at the foot of said partition-screen for the discharge of the oversize, a water-pipe having a nozzle on the inner front wall of the tank just above the gated opening and directing its spray toward and through the falling oversize and partition-screen and agated opening in the bottom of the tank for the discharge of the screened material, substantiallyas described.

a. In a machine for classifying and sizing granulated ores, the combination with a series of superposed stationary tanks supported within a suitable frame, of a substantially horizontal submerged swinging screen suspended within and near the top of each tank by links hanging at all times forward of a vertical and having only an upward and forward movement in one lateral direction and only a downward and backward movement on the return, means for swinging said screens on their said links whereby during their said movements their screened material is discharged down into their respective tanks and their oversize over their forward ends, stationary inclined partition-screens crossing said tanks from side to side in the path of the fall of the oversize and secured along their bottom edges to the front wall of each tank, gated oversizedischarge openings in the front walls of each tank at the foot of said inclined partitionscreens, water-pipes having nozzles projecting from the inner front walls of each tank just above the gated openings each directing its spray toward and through the falling oversize and partition, baffle-plates crossing each tank in rear of its partition-screen whereby to baflle the current from said nozzles, overflowpipes leading from near the top of each tank onto the top of the next subposed tank whereby to maintain a constant level in each tank, a gated opening in the bottom of each tank for the discharge of the screened material, substantially as described.

i 5. In a machine for classifying and sizing granulated ores, the combination with a series of superposed stationary tanks supported within a suitable frame, of a substantially horizontal submerged swinging screen suspended within and near the top of each tank by links hanging at all times forward of a vertical and having only an upward and forward movement in one lateral direction and only a downward and backward movement on the return, means for swinging said screens on their said links whereby during their said movements their screened material is discharged down into their respective tanks and their oversize over their forward ends, stationary inclined partition-screens crossing said tanks from side to side in the path of the fall of the oversize and secured along their bottom edges to the front wall of each tank, gated oversizedischarge openings in the front walls of each tank at the foot of said inclined partitionscreens, water-pipes having nozzles projecting from the inner front walls of each tank just above the gated openings each directing its spray toward and through the falling oversize and partition, baffle-plates crossing each tank in rear of its partition-screen whereby to baflfie the current from said nozzles, overflow-pipes leading from near the top of each tank onto the top of the next subposed tank whereby to maintain a constant level in each tank, a gated opening in the bottom of each tank for the discharge of the screened material and launders leading therefrom and discharging said screened material onto the swinging screen of the next subposed tank, substantially as described.

6. In a machine of the class described, a rectangular framed swinging screen, stepped shelves on the inner walls of the frame side bars, cross-rods seated in the bottoms of said shelf-steps and forming asupporting-bcd for the overlying screen-mesh, upper cross-rods lying on said screen-mesh and pressing the same down over the rear side of the bed crossbars in a series of inclines the direction of the declivity of which is forward, said upper cross-rods forming dams at the foot of each incline, and end-sliding side bars stepped to mesh with the steps of the shelves on the frame side bars the roofs of their steps engaging upon and pressing and holding said upper cross-bars down on the screen-mesh, substantially as described.

7. In a machine of the class described, a

frame, a stationary tank supported therein, a rectangular framed swinging screen suspended substantially horizontally in the top of said tank, stepped shelves on the inner walls of the frame side bars, cross-rods seated in bottoms of said shelf-steps and forming a supporting-bed for the overlying screen-mesh,

upper cross-rods lying on said screen-mesh and pressing the same down over the rear side of the bed cross-bars in a series of inclines the direction of the declivity of which is forward, said upper cross-rods forming dams at the foot of each incline and loose side bars stepped to mesh with the steps of the shelves on the frame side bars the roofs of their steps engaging upon and pressing and holding said upper cross-bars down on the screen-mesh, in combination with a knockerbar suspended longitudinally over the screenframe and parallel to the line of the upper cross-rods thereof so as to receive the impact of said upper cross-rods on the extreme upward movement of the swinging screen, in the manner and for the purpose substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM E. WILD. Witnesses:

A. ROLAND JoHNsoN, E. J. BURNS. 

